Electrical circuits with state-feedbacks are addressed. It is shown that by suitable choice of the gain matrices of state-feedbacks it is possible to obtain the closed-loop system matrices with nilpotency indices equal to two and their state variables are linear functions of time. The considerations are illustrated by linear electrical circuits.

The analysis of the positivity and stability of linear electrical circuits by the use of state-feedbacks is addressed. Generalized Frobenius matrices are proposed and their properties are investigated. It is shown that if the state matrix of an electrical circuit has generalized Frobenius form then the closed-loop system matrix is not positive and asymptotically stable. Different cases of modification of the positivity and stability of linear electrical circuits by state-feedbacks are discussed and necessary conditions for the existence of solutions to the problem are established.

The In this paper stabilisation problem of LC ladder network is established. We studied the following cases: stabilisation by inner

resistance, by velocity feedback and stabilisation by dynamic linear feedback, in particularly stabilisation by first range dynamic feedback. The global asymptotic stability of the respectively system is proved by LaSalle’s theorem. In the proof the observability of the dynamic system plays an essential role. Numerical calculations were made using the Matlab/Simulink program.

The global (absolute) stability of nonlinear systems with negative feedbacks and positive descriptor linear parts is addressed. Transfer matrices of positive descriptor linear systems are analyzed. The characteristics u = f(e) of the nonlinear parts satisfy the condition
k₁e  ≤ f(e) ≤ k₂e for some positive k₁, k₂. It is shown that the nonlinear feedback systems are globally asymptotically stable if the Nyquist plots of the positive descriptor linear parts are located in the right-hand side of the circles (–¹/k₁,  –¹/k₂).

The observation inflation effect consists in the fact that observing an action being performed can create false memories that this action has actually been performed by the observer. The present study examined the relationship between this effect and interrogative suggestibility. A procedure based on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale was used to assess two kinds of suggestibility: the tendency to yield to suggestive questions (Yield) and the tendency to change answers after feedback (Shift). The participants first watched a film depicting a woman performing simple activities and performed various activities themselves during the film. In order to determine whether the observation inflation effect occurred, the participants performed a source-monitoring test. The observation inflation effect was replicated. Observation inflation correlated positively with Yield but not with Shift. This pattern of results can be explained by the fact these two indicators are different aspects of interrogative suggestibility. Shift is more related to social influence, while Yield is more cognitive in its nature.

The global stability of discrete-time nonlinear systems with descriptor positive linear parts and positive scalar feedbacks is addressed. Sufficient conditions for the global stability of standard and fractional nonlinear systems are established. The effectiveness of these conditions is illustrated on numerical examples.

It is shown that in uncontrollable linear system ẋ = Ax + Bu it is possible to assign arbitrarily the eigenvalues of the closed-loop system with state feedbacks u = Kx, K ∈ ℜ^n⨉m if rank [A B] = n. The design procedure consists in two steps. In the step 1 a nonsingular matrix  M ∈ ℜ^n⨉m is chosen so that the pair (MA,MB) is controllable. In step 2 the feedback matrix K is chosen so that the closed-loop matrix A_c = A  − BK has the desired eigenvalues. The procedure is illustrated by simple example.

In recent years the application of computer software to the learning process has been found to be an indisputably effective tool supporting the traditional teaching methods. Particular focus has been put on the application of techniques based on speech and language processing to the second language learning. Most of the commercial self-study programs, however, do not allow for introduction of an individualized learning course by the teacher and to concentrate on segmental features only. The paper discusses the use of speech technology in the training of foreign languages' pronunciation and prosody and defines pedagogical requirements for an effective training with CAPT systems. In this context, steps taken in the development of the intelligent tutoring system AzAR3.0 (German ‘Automat for accent reduction’) in the scope of the Euronounce project (Cylwik et al., 2008) are described with the focus on creation of the linguistic content. In response to the European Union's call for promoting less widely spoken languages, the project focuses on German as a target language for native speakers of Polish, Slovak, Czech, and Russian, and vice versa. The paper presents the design of the speech corpus for the purpose of the tutoring system and the analysis of pronunciation errors. The results of the latter provide information which is important for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) training on the one hand, and for automatic error detection and feedback generation on the other hand. In the end, Pitch Line software for implementation in the prosody visualization and training module of AzAR3.0 tutoring system is described.

Modern and innovative road spreaders are now equipped with a special swiveling mechanism of the spreading disc. It allows for adjusting a symmetrical or asymmetrical spreading pattern and provides for the possibility to maintain the size of the spreading surface and achieve an accurately defined spreading pattern with spreading widths. Thus the paper presents a modelling and control design methodology, and the concept is proposed to design high-performance and optimal drive systems for spreading devices. The paper deals with a nonlinear model of an electric linear actuator and solution of the new intelligent/optimal control problem for the actuator.

The synthesis problem for optimal control systems in the class of discrete controls is under consideration. The problem is investigated by reducing to a linear programming (LP) problem with consequent use of a dynamic version of the adaptive method of LP. Both perfect and imperfect information on behavior of control system cases are studied. Algorithms for the optimal controller, optimal estimators are described. Results are illustrated by examples.

We propose a class of m-crane control systems, that generalizes two- and three-dimensional crane systems. We prove that each representant of the described class is feedback equivalent to the second order chained form with drift. In consequence, we prove that it is differentially flat. Then we investigate its control properties and derive a control law for tracking control problem.

The dynamics of the turning process of a thin-walled cylinder in manufacturing is modeled using flexible multibody system theory. The obtained model is time varying due to workpiece rotation and tool feed and retarded, due to repeated cutting of the same surface. Instabilities can occur due to these consecutive cuts that must be avoided in practical application because of the detrimental effects on workpiece, tool and possibly the machine. Neglecting the small feed, the stability of the resulting periodic system with time-delay can be analyzed using the semi-discretization method. The use of an adaptronic tool holder comprising actuators and sensors to improve the dynamic stability is then investigated. Different control concepts, two collocated and two model-based, are implemented in simulation and tuned to increase the domain of stable cutting. Cutting of a moderately thin workpiece exhibits instabilities mainly due to tool vibration. In this case, the stability boundary can be significantly improved. When the instability is due to workpiece vibration, the collocated concepts fail completely. Model based concepts can still obtain some improvements, but are sensitive to modeling errors in the coupling of workpiece and tool.

Despite the large number of studies conducted on teachers’ oral corrective feedback, the findings of these studies have been mainly limited to cognitive orientations rooted in experimental designs and the verbal discourse of the teacher as the main object of inquiry. Considering teachers’ affective concerns regarding their corrective feedback and the shift from negative psychology to positive psychology in the field of second/foreign language teaching as well as the entirety of the teacher’s corrective repertoire, in this case study, we aimed to explore the enjoyment building capacity of a teacher’s multimodal corrective feedback in a university general English course. We video-recorded the teacher’s multimodal corrective feedback including verbal and nonverbal semiotic resources like gesture, gaze, and posture while observing the learners’ emotional experiences for eight sessions. We also conducted stimulated recall interviews with some learners and collected their written journals about the experiences of enjoyment with regard to the teacher’s multimodal corrective feedback scenarios. The teacher’s multimodal corrective feedback was analyzed through systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis (SF-MDA) and the content of the interview transcripts as well as the written journals were qualitatively analyzed. The findings indicated that the teacher’s inherent multimodality in his corrective feedback broadened the main dimensions of enjoyment by raising the learners’ attention to their errors, heightening their focus on the correct form, and increasing the salience of his corrective feedback. Further arguments regarding the findings are discussed.

In this paper, the issue related to control of the plant with nonconstant parameters is addressed. In order to assure the unchanged response of the system, an adaptive state feedback speed controller for permanent magnet synchronous motor is proposed. The model-reference adaptive system is applied while the Widrow-Hoff rule is used as adjustment mechanism of controller’s coefficients. Necessary modifications related to construction of the cost function and formulas responsible for adjustment of state feedback speed controller’s coefficients are depicted. The impact of adaptation gain, which is the only parameter in proposed adjustment mechanism, on system behaviour is experimentally examined. The discussion about computational resources consumption of the proposed adaptation algorithm and implementation issues is included. The proposed approach is utilized in numerous experimental tests on modern SiC based drive with nonconstant moment of inertia. Comparison between adaptive and nonadaptive control schemes is also shown.